Galina Salnikova and Nelli Porseva, a student and teacher at Gymnasium 164 in Zelenogorsk, Russia were featured in their local TV news! (Available only in Russian)
Category Archives: Student
2015-2016 Student Presentations
Opening Speeches
U.S. Schools
Choate Rosemary Hall, Walingford, CT
Dr. Olga Mohan High School, Los Angeles, CA
Harker School, San Jose, CA
Pacific Grove High School, Pacific Grove, CA
Punahou School, Honolulu, HI
Rock University High School, Janesville, WI
Santa Catalina School, Monterey, CA
Japanese Schools
Hiroshima Jogakuin Senior High School, Hiroshima
Kansai Soka Senior High School, Katano
Kwassui High School, Nagasaki
Nagasaki Nanzan High School, Nagasaki
Ritsumeikan Uji High School, Kyoto
Soka Senior High School, Tokyo
Russian Schools
Gymnasium No 41, Novouralsk
Gymnasium No 164, Zelenogorsk
Lyceum, Lesnoy
Presentations
US Schools –
- Choate Rosemary Hall, Walingford, CT on Nuclear Threats : Seen and Unseen
2. Dr. Olga Mohan High School, Los Angeles, CA on A Case Study of a Nuclear-Armed North Korea: Potential Threats, Present Crisis, and Possible Solutions
3. Harker School, San Jose, CA on Historical Precedents and Policy Analysis in the Development of Proposed Nuclear Mishap – Response Plans
4. Pacific Grove High School, Pacific Grove, CA on Global Nuclear Security:
An Environmental Perspective
5. Punahou School, Honolulu, HI on Global Nuclear Dangers And a Plan to Address Them
6. Rock University High School, Janesville, WI On the Reduction of Weapons-grade Fissile Material via Civilian Nuclear Power: The Efficacy of Arms Reduction through a Civilian Nuclear Power Initiative
7. Santa Catalina School, Monterey, CA on Staircase to Global 1
Japanese Schools –
- Hiroshima Jogakuin Senior High School, Hiroshima on Let’s Get Out of the Nuclear Fuel Cycle
2. Kansai Soka Senior High School, Katano on Two Humanistic Weapons to transform global nuclear vulnerability
3. Kwassui High School, Nagasaki on The World Is Never Secure – The myth of nuclear safety
4. Nagasaki Nanzan High School, Nagasaki on Understanding Nuclear Vulnerability and Our Efforts for a Peaceful World
5. Ritsumeikan Uji High School, Kyoto on From the Past to the Future
6. Soka Senior High School, Tokyo on Let’s make a paradigm shift
Russian Schools –
- Gymnasium No 41, Novouralsk on Life is a maze…
2. Gymnasium No 164, Zelenogorsk on The Road to Take
3. Lyceum, Lesnoy on Close Calls with Nuclear Weapons: Challenges and Possible Solutions
Dr. William Perry’s quote
Dr. Perry saluted the CNS for “pioneering” nonproliferation and disarmament education and congratulated the participants of the conference. Below is his quote:
Dr. William Perry’s keynote presentation
“I would like to start off by thanking Bill Potter and the James Martin Center for sponsoring this wonderful and unique conference. I have believed for many years now that the only way I would want to deal with this nuclear problem is through education and the education has to start young, at high school. And Bill Potter is going to pioneer in recognizing this best and the most successful program on the way in the country to actually implement it. So, Bill, Congratulations on the wonderful work. I have to tell you also how impressed I was by the talks I heard this morning and I want to thank all the students who gave the talk and all the other high school students who are here and preparing to get the same informed education about this one existential threat to you and your families and to the whole world. I would be remiss if I not also recognize to thank the teachers and the principals with whom you worked to help you prepare for this event. Anything that we can do to encourage the teachers and the principals to move forward on this is critically important. I do not believe we will really deal effectively with the nuclear problem until the youth of our country become fully understanding about how dangerous this is to their future and start to work actively to reduce this danger and to eliminate it.”
Please see Dr. Perry’s entire speech.
2016 Conference Report
US, Japanese, Russian High School Students Discuss Nuclear Dangers and Find Solutions with Former Secretary of Defense Dr. William Perry
“Global Nuclear Vulnerability: Lessons for a More Secure and Peaceful World”
Masako Toki
April 28, 2016
Students and teachers from Japan and Russia joined peers from the United States at a conference on nuclear nonproliferation and disarmament convened by the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS) at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (MIIS). The conference featured former US Secretary of Defense William J. Perry. The Critical Issues Forum (CIF) annual conference took place on April 15-16 at Santa Catalina School in Monterey that co-hosted the conference.
Each year, the CIF conference takes place at a time when the world leaders are also tackling challenges posed by nuclear dangers. This year’s conference was no exception. This parallel timing underscores for the students that they are engaging with vital, real-world issues through the project. As dedicated students studying disarmament and nonproliferation, these young people will be essential to reducing nuclear risks and contributing to the goal of peace and security of a world free of nuclear weapons.
Just a few days before the CIF conference, the Group of Seven Foreign Ministers meeting was held in Hiroshima, and for the first time, the incumbent US secretary of state visited the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. Also a few weeks prior to the CIF conference, President Barack Obama convened the final Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, DC, where over fifty world leaders gathered to take concrete measures to enhance nuclear security.
Former United States Secretary of Defense Dr. William Perry and his daughter, Ms. Robin Perry, joined the conference for the entire second day’s session, which featured a dialogue session between him and the students, moderated by Dr. William Potter, CNS founding director. This direct interaction with a former top-ranking US defense official who had been deeply involved in US nuclear weapons policy was an exciting and rare opportunity for participants.
Dr. William Perry’s keynote presentation
As an additional enhancement to the prestige of the conference, Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida sent a congratulatory message to the CIF participants, delivered at the conference by Japanese Consul General in San Francisco Mr. Jun Yamada. Mr. Kishida himself participated last year’s CIF conference that was held in Hiroshima to greet participants. The CIF conference was also fortunate to have Professor Mitsuru Kurosawa from Osaka Jogakuin University and the founding president of the Japan Association of Disarmament Studies as a commentator.
Under this year’s theme, “Global Nuclear Vulnerability: Lessons for a More Secure and Peaceful World,” students held informed and dynamic discussions that built upon their semester-long preparation as part of the CIF project. Students and teachers effectively inspired each other and learned from other schools’ presentations. It is truly encouraging to see these young future leaders working together to find ways to reduce nuclear dangers.
Students’ Conference
The CIF conference on April 15 and 16 brought seven US high schools, six Japanese schools, and three Russian high schools to Santa Catalina to discuss global nuclear vulnerability, reducing nuclear dangers, and what each of these young leaders-in-training can do to make progress toward a goal of peace and security of a world free of nuclear weapons. Following an opening statement by Masako Toki, CIF project manager, Dr. William Potter warmly welcomed all the participants, congratulating their hard work to study this challenging but vital topic. He highlighted CNS’s mission to educate the next generation of nonproliferation specialists, and the importance of disarmament and nonproliferation education for high school students, which is very rare. As head of the hosting Upper School of Santa Catalina School, Dr. Kassandra Brenot cordially welcomed the participants from these three countries.
Kwassui High School students from Nagasaki gave their presentation titled – “IT’S NEVER SECURE － the myth of nuclear safety”
Throughout the months of preparation for the conference, the students immersed themselves studying the topic, “Global Nuclear Vulnerability: Lessons for a More Secure and Peaceful World.” Students examined the dangers of the current nuclear weapons situation, and investigated how close the world has come to nuclear weapons use, and many concluded that, in some respects, the risk of nuclear weapons is greater today than it was during the Cold War. They also explored the ways in which international nonproliferation and disarmament regimes function to prevent nuclear weapons from being used. Students also explored ways to prevent any future use of nuclear weapons. Then, through meticulous, insightful, and creative research, students presented their own solutions to these problems, demonstrating a solid understanding of this sophisticated and complex challenge.
To supplement and expertly guide students’ own research, CIF teachers had participated in the previous December, in an online teachers’ workshop on the relevant subjects. Using lectures and educational materials prepared by CNS experts, each school worked hard toward the spring conference.
Student Presentation Highlights (each school’s presentation video and file can be viewed here.
In their presentation, students from the host school, Santa Catalina in Monterey, California, examined how to avoid nuclear weapons use both accidentally and intentionally. Students shared their idea to disarm the majority of the nuclear weapons in the world slowly and gradually while maintaining the world stability. Dr. Olga Mohan High School from Los Angeles focused on the North Korea’s nuclear threats and how to solve this dangerous situation. Their studies included the recent nuclear weapons tests and background information. The students also highlighted the likelihood of a North Korean nuclear accident. Before the conference, the students and teacher interviewed several nuclear experts, and concluded their presentation with the UN Secretary General Ban Ki- Moon’s principle: “there are no right hands for wrong weapons.”
Students from Dr.Olga Mohan High School ‘s creative presentation
As first time CIF participants, Punahou School from Hawaii students’ research included an interview with a survivor of the atomic bombing in Hiroshima. This research also explored past close calls, including the Cuban Missile Crisis and the 1983 Soviet Nuclear False Alarm incident. Students also delineated the current nuclear weapon status that continues to present threats to humanity. In order to reduce the nuclear dangers, the students argued that it is essential to raise awareness of such a danger among young people. Thus, they proposed that high schools should create an international issues club where students and teachers can actively discuss and find solutions to global challenges. They also proposed to collect petitions to take US nuclear weapons off hair-trigger alert. As an effort to promote nuclear disarmament education, the Punahou students also proposed to coordinate educational activities with Hiroshima peace scholars.
Students from one of CIF’s “veteran” high schools, Choate Rosemary Hall, explored several existing nuclear threats, such as the continued existence of thousands of nuclear warheads across the globe, their proliferation, their status, and modernization by some countries, as well as issues of nuclear terrorism. In their proposal, Choate students argued that any progress in nuclear nonproliferation and disarmament requires US leadership, and that US diplomatic leverage can encourage other nations to follow suit The decisive unilateral actions to reduce stockpiles and lower hair-trigger alert status are important steps. The students also examined other solutions including realignment of spending priorities to reduce nuclear weapons funding and changing public perceptions.
Choate Rosemary Hall’s students gave their presentation on “Global Nuclear Vulnerability: Threats Seen and Unseen”
This year, six Japanese high schools participated, four of which were new to CIF—a warmly welcomed expansion of the project to other cities in Japan beyond Hiroshima and Nagasaki. One of the original schools, Hiroshima Jogakuin Senior High School, has been undertaking extensive nuclear disarmament and peace education activities, including meticulous scrutiny of excessive defense spending for nuclear weapons and the study of the risk of terrorist acquisition of nuclear materials or nuclear weapons. The students also highlighted lack of progress in nuclear disarmament. In order to achieve the goal of a world free of nuclear weapons, these students from the first city that was attacked by a nuclear weapon proposed to utilize education to promote nuclear disarmament. The students came up with an idea to create a special project entitled the Youth Education for a Nuclear Weapon Free World (YENFW) and create a universal textbook available online for free.
Another veteran school from Japan, Kwassui High School in Nagasaki, argued that nuclear weapons will never bring safety and security to the world, articulating three nuclear dangers: the use of nuclear weapons, nuclear weapons as deterrence, and nuclear weapons as a tool to gain interest. They investigated the reasons and causes behind these dangers, and how we can overcome them. The students argued that the current NPT regime is not sufficient to accomplish the goals of a world without nuclear weapons, highlighting the importance of creating a new treaty to ban nuclear weapons, as well as the need to raise awareness of the risk of nuclear weapons through educational activities among civil society, especially among young students.
One of the first-time participants, Soka Senior High School in Tokyo, asserted the importance of a paradigm shift in nuclear weapons from the concept that nuclear weapons are a necessary evil to an absolute evil to humanity. In order to make this paradigm shift, students suggested that we should take a multi-track diplomacy approach. As part of the effort to promote the importance of achieving a world without nuclear weapons, students introduced their promotional and educational video project.
All the students’ presentation will be posted on the CIF website. http://sites.miis.edu/criticalissuesforum/
Please see the CIF Conference Booklet for more information at http://sites.miis.edu/criticalissuesforum/files/2016/04/Untitled.pdf.
Keynote by and Conversation with Dr. William Perry
A highlight of this year’s CIF conference was the keynote speech by former Defense Secretary Dr. William Perry and the ensuing conversation with him and his daughter, Ms. Robin Perry.
CNS Director Potter introduced Dr. Perry as a man whose name has become “synonymous with government service, integrity, and common sense.” Dr. Potter highlighted Dr. Perry’s tremendous work in galvanizing efforts to secure nuclear stockpiles inherited by former Soviet states and presiding over the dismantlement of more than 8,000 nuclear weapons.
Before he started his keynote address, Dr. Perry kindly applauded CNS for holding this “unique and insightful” educational conference, saluting Dr. Potter and CNS for “pioneering” nonproliferation and disarmament education, and tireless and creative efforts to promote such education. He emphasized the importance of education to reduce nuclear dangers, and highlighted that starting such education at the high school level is an effective way to spark a lifelong engagement with the issue.
In his keynote remarks, Dr. Perry shared his unique and insightful thoughts on nuclear dangers, culled from his own experience through his long-term government service, including as secretary of defense. After witnessing the nuclear devastation first-hand in Hiroshima only a few months after the bombing, his role as an analyst during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, as well as subsequent further nuclear crises during his time in government, Dr. Perry’s appreciation of what nuclear weapons can do to human beings and environment is an important gift to have shared with all CIF participants.
Dr. William Perry and his daughter Robin Perry along with the CNS Director Dr. William Potter during the conversation with CIF students.
Dr. Perry warned that we are now on the verge of a new nuclear arms race, and that we are drifting back to a Cold War mentality. The public, he said, is “blissfully unaware” of the new nuclear danger they face. He emphasized that the danger of nuclear catastrophe is greater today than it was during the Cold War. He is therefore is working tirelessly to reduce nuclear dangers through public education, especially youth: the best way, he said, “to deal with this nuclear problem is through education, and education has to start young, at high school.” This situation inspired him to write his new memoir, My Journey at the Nuclear Brink, which aims to educate the public about these dangers.
Please see his speech in the video below:
The conference also welcomed Ms. Robin Perry, Dr. Perry’s daughter and the executive director of the William J. Perry Project (http://www.wjperryproject.org), which produced a grim animated short she shared with CIF participants.
Dr. Perry and Dr. Potter congratulate participants from Soka Senior High School with Masako Toki, CIF project manager
While the scenario depicted in the film is fiction, it showcases the real plausibility of terrorists acquiring nuclear materials and developing an effective, improvised nuclear device. The project aims to educate and engage the public about the dangers of nuclear weapons in the twenty-first century.
After the video screening, Dr. Potter moderated the conversation between Dr. Perry and high school students. CIF students were not shy in asking questions to the former secretary of state. They lined up in front of microphones to ask Dr. Perry a variety of enthusiastic, interesting questions, including his views on how young students can fulfill the important role of reducing nuclear dangers, the dangers of North Korea’s nuclear threats, US-Russia relations, nuclear terrorism, and nuclear policies in the context of the US presidential election.
Message from Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida
Another treat for participants was the congratulatory message sent from Japanese Foreign Minister Mr. Fumio Kishida Delivered by Mr. Jun Yamada, Japanese Consul General in San Francisco, Foreign Minister Kishida highlighted the historic G7 foreign ministers meeting in Hiroshima, which provided the ministers with a chance to visit the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, lay wreaths at the Cenotaph for the atomic bomb victims, and visit the atomic bomb dome. Mr. Kishida, a Hiroshima native, is well known as a strong disarmament advocate and his efforts toward creating a world free of nuclear weapons through disarmament education for youth. As part of such effort, Mr. Kishida reiterated his announcement from the Hiroshima G7 meeting that Japan will expand the Youth Communicators for a World without Nuclear Weapons Program to other countries as well. Many CIF students were appointed official “Youth Communicators,” including some American and Russian students, the first non-Japanese students so appointed.
Link to Consulate General of Japan in San Francisco Website in Japanese, and in English
MIIS Gradate Students’ Panel Discussions
MIIS students studying nonproliferation issues share their experience with CIF high school students
The CIF conference also engaged graduate students in nonproliferation and terrorism studies. These young scholars shared their experiences with how the MIIS nonproliferation studies impacted their career decisions. Hearing how MIIS students’ experience interning at the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs, working for various international disarmament and nonproliferation conferences—such as the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty Review Conference and the UN General Assembly meetings—encouraged and inspired these CIF high school students to continue their academic and professional endeavors in the field. During a question-and-answer session, the high school students asked the MIIS students for their advice in terms of educational and career opportunities in nonproliferation and disarmament.
Conclusion
Dr.Perry chatting with high school students
This year’s CIF conference again proved the importance of disarmament and nonproliferation education for youth as a way toward achieving the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons. As Dr. Perry stated in his speech, the first step we must take to reduce nuclear danger is education, and CNS efforts to engage high school students in such a dynamic and multifaceted manner is one important contribution.
These high school students worked tirelessly, thinking critically about this complicated nuclear issue in order to find their own, innovative solutions to reduce nuclear dangers and make progress in nuclear disarmament. Many of these students realized that they are the ones who are responsible to achieve that goal. CNS hopes that this type of educational project will give more opportunities to young students to further raise their awareness of these global challenges, strengthen their determination to work toward this goal, and start something they can do, no matter how small it may seem.
Dr. Perry at book signing of his new memoir, “My Journey at the Nuclear Brink”
In his recent memoir, My Journey at the Nuclear Brink, Dr. Perry elucidated in its final chapter: “… Dealing with the problem of nuclear dangers will take decades, and will ultimately need to be solved by today’s youth, in America and around the globe. My generation dealt with the nuclear dangers of the Cold War; later generations must deal with the deadly nuclear legacy that we left behind.” For these youths to inherit this daunting task, education is essential.
This year’s CIF program is funded by the United States-Japan Foundation, a New York-based organization supporting activities to deepen friendship and understanding between American and Japanese citizens, and the Tokyo Club, Japan’s oldest and most prestigious private club. For more information on the CIF program, please visit the CIF website at http://sites.miis.edu/criticalissuesforum/.
See also
Monterey plays host to disarmament conference for teens Monterey Herald, April 14, 2016
Participants from Novouralsk, Russia and Hiroshima
Participating Schools
United States
Choate Rosemary Hall, Wallingford, CT
Harker School, San Jose, CA
Dr. Olga Mohan High School, Los Angeles, CA
Pacific Grove High School, Pacific Grove, CA
Punahou School, Honolulu, HI
Rock University High School, Janesville, WI
Santa Catalina School, Monterey, CA
Japan
Hiroshima Jogakuin Senior High School, Hiroshima
Kansai Soka Senior High School, Katano
Kwassui High School, Nagasaki
Nagasaki Nanzan Senior High School, Nagasaki
Ritsumeikan Uji Senior High School, Kyoto
Soka Senior High School, Tokyo
Russia
Gymnasium No 41, Novouralsk
Gymnasia No 164, Zelenogorsk
Lesnoy, Lyceum
Please see the video clip featuring Gymnasium 164 in Zelenogorsk, Russia.
Media Advisory
MEDIA ADVISORY Contact: Jason Warburg
March 28, 2016 (831) 647-3516
jwarburg@miis.edu
Former Secretary of Defense William Perry to Speak to Japanese, Russian and American High School Students at Monterey Conference on Nuclear Policy
April 15-16 Conference at Santa Catalina High School in Monterey Sponsored by the Middlebury Institute’s James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies
Monterey, Calif. – Students and teachers from Japan and Russia will join peers from the United States at a conference on nuclear nonproliferation and disarmament convened by the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey and featuring former U.S. Secretary of Defense William Perry. The annual conference will take place on April 15-16 at Santa Catalina School in Monterey.
At the 2016 Critical Issues Forum (CIF) conference, students from six Japanese high schools (Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Osaka, Kyoto and Tokyo), three Russian high schools in closed nuclear cities (Lesnoy, Novouralsk, and Zelenogorsk), and seven U.S. high schools in four different states (California, Connecticut, Hawaii, and Wisconsin), are scheduled to present their studies on the topic of “Global Nuclear Vulnerability: Lessons for a More Secure and Peaceful World.” The CIF program is managed by the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey.
Dr. William Perry, Secretary of Defense under President Bill Clinton, will participate as a guest speaker at the conference during the morning of April 16, along with his daughter Ms. Robin Perry. Dr. Perry is well known for his nuclear disarmament, nonproliferation and nuclear security leadership, especially for his op-ed pieces advocating a world free of nuclear weapons, co-authored with other former high-ranking governmental officials. His appearance in Monterey is part of his ongoing efforts to draw attention to issues related to nuclear policy and disarmament.
This year’s CIF participants will examine the dangers of the current nuclear weapons situation, and investigate how close we have come to nuclear weapons use. These young leaders from around the world will tackle one of the most pressing and challenging security issues of our time, exploring how international nonproliferation and disarmament regimes are working to prevent nuclear weapons technology from being spread or used.
The April 15-16 CIF conference is the culmination of a semester-long program for high school students that is designed to develop critical thinking skills and to engage students and teachers around issues related to international peace and security. All participating students are expected to present and exchange their findings on their chosen topic in a creative and innovative way, followed by an open discussion centered on a question and answer session with their peers and teachers. Students will also engage in interactive and cross-cultural activities during the conference, and will have the opportunity to interact with graduate students studying nuclear disarmament issues in the Institute’s Nonproliferation and Terrorism Studies program.
This year’s CIF program is funded by the United States-Japan Foundation, a New York-based organization supporting activities to deepen friendship and understanding between American and Japanese citizens, and the Tokyo Club, Japan’s oldest and most prestigious private club. For more information on the CIF program, please visit the CIF website at sites.miis.edu/criticalissuesforum, and view this short video.
What: Critical Issues Forum
When: April 15 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
April 16 from 8:30 a.m. to 1:45 p.m.
Where: Mary Johnson Recital Hall, Santa Catalina School
1500 Mark Thomas Drive, Monterey
Contact: Masako Toki 831-915-6162 (mobile)
# # #
The Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey has been preparing graduate professionals for global careers since 1955. Located in Monterey, California, the Institute offers advanced degrees in international business, international education management, international environmental policy, international policy studies, language teaching, localization management, nonproliferation and terrorism studies, public administration, and translation and interpretation, as well as a variety of specialized certificates and programs. The Institute, whose approximately 750 students come from more than 50 countries, is also home to the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, the Monterey Terrorism Research and Education Program (MonTREP), the Center for the Blue Economy, and the Center for Conflict Studies. Visit www.miis.edu for campus news or to find an expert.
The James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS) strives to combat the spread of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) by training the next generation of nonproliferation specialists and disseminating timely information and analysis. CNS at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey is the largest nongovernmental organization in the United States devoted exclusively to research and training on nonproliferation issues. CNS news releases and photos are available at http://www.nonproliferation.org.
Link to the PDF version of the Media Advisory. Click here!
2015 CIF Alumni Spotlight: Shaden Beltran
Shaden Beltran (left) and Laura Colosky (right) at the 2015 CIF
Shaden Beltran was a student at the Santa Catalina School who attended the 2015 Spring CIF Conference, held in Hiroshima, Japan to commemorate the seventieth anniversary of the bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. During the span of four months, Shaden and her partner, Laura, worked on two mini projects in order to prepare for their final deliverable.
The topic of their final project was nuclear disarmament through a humanitarian approach. Although different groups suggested different methods on how to achieve the goal nuclear disarmament, all of the students at the conference were aware of the dangers nuclear weapons pose.
Only, Shaden was not one hundred percent convinced that nuclear weapons actually threaten today’s society. She lacked sympathy towards the hibakusha (survivors of the a-bomb attacks) and their deceased loved ones. In fact, when she arrived in Hiroshima, she was quick to notice that the buildings were tall and that there was a large portion of vegetation. The people were extremely nice and always greeted her with big smiles. Their lifestyle and the physical appearance of the city made it even more difficult to understand the true dangers of nuclear weapons.
Shaden made many friends in Japan. She gained an increased understanding of cross-cultural communication, and how important it is to share ideas with peers in other countries. However, shamefully, Shaden, who was fully aware of the environmental and humanitarian effects caused by weapons, began to think that maybe nuclear weapons weren’t as bad as she had been taught. Hiroshima looked like any other city, and she would have never guessed that only seventy years ago it had been in complete ruins.
Several days into the trip, the entire CIF group visited the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. This was the most heartbreaking place Shaden has ever been to. It is filled with artifacts such as clothes, jewelry, rooftops, and replicas body parts, that survived the explosion. Attached to these objects were background stories about the people who once possessed these items. Shaden was on the verge of tears while reading about the ripped up shirts, broken necklaces, and tracheas that belonged to kids- boys and girls her age, and even younger, who were going about their daily lives, waiting for the bus and getting ready for school. Innocent people were killed by weapons of mass destruction, and for the first time, Shaden could see how truly dangerous they are.
Shaden’s perspective completely changed after visiting the museum. She saw that nuclear weapons are still a huge threat to humanity today. Sixty percent of a modern bomb is equal to all the damage done by the atomic bombs that were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki combined. It took Hiroshima seventy years to once again become a prosperous city, which made Shaden think; how long would it take for a city to rebuild itself if it was attacked today?
The purpose of being a member of CIF isn’t only to present a solution and never again touch base on the topic, but to become an advocate and spread the word about the dangers of nuclear weapons to the current generations. While attending the conference, Shaden witnessed the passion of young people across cultures, and established lifelong friendships. She now believes that the youth today have a strong influence in world problems. They are quick to start trends on social media and voice their opinions about current conflicts. They have the ability to change the status quo.
By educating younger generations about the negative effects of the atomic bomb, Shaden has faith that the world will slowly begin to achieve peace, free of nuclear weapons. That is why now, and in the future, she plans to advocate for disarmament, carrying the lessons she learned in Japan throughout her life.
2015 CIF Alumni Spotlight: Laura Colosky
Laura Colosky (right), with fellow student Shaden Beltran at CIF students conference in Hiroshima, April 2015.
Laura Colosky was a student at Santa Catalina School in Monterey, California, when she attended the CIF Spring Conference in Hiroshima, Japan.
While there, Laura learned that there are many ways to approach solving a problem. Everyone who attended the conference researched the same material, delving into nuclear weapon history and treaties, but for Laura the truly poignant part of each presentation was the final solution each group offered. Some chose to seek revisions of various treaties or drafted new ones, while others sought to incorporate values that promote peace through education, and still others suggested raising awareness by using social media like Facebook, Instagram, and twitter. There are so many ideas available when students come together from all over the world to discuss and collaborate. It was an amazing experience.
Laura liked how each student had a unique perspective to contribute to the cause of the peace and security of a nuclear free world, and, by sharing a common goal, students were able to connect to one another regardless of any cultural barriers. They were at the conference for one reason; to help create peace, and with that shared objective the students were able to develop meaningful friendships.
A moment Laura will forever take to heart was when the students listened to and spoke with a Hiroshima atomic bomb survivor. Laura really felt that she was meant to hear her story so that she could learn from her. This gentle and charismatic 78 year old woman described in detail the trauma she suffered when she was just eight years old. She was walking to school one early morning when, in an instant, she was blinded by scorching white light, badly wounded from the surrounding debris that had scattered in all directions. When she regained her senses of sight and hearing she found herself amidst hundreds of dead, dying, and terribly wounded people all frantically seeking medical attention, shelter, and safe food and water. This graphic recollection made everything Laura had studied for the last few months seem dull in comparison. The Hiroshima atomic bomb incident was no longer just a far off piece of history that she was not connected to, but an event occurring in front of her through this woman’s memory.
Not only did she talk about her experience during the bombing, but the shame and guilt she carried throughout her life afterwards; those who survived were stigmatized by the unaffected communities rather than supported and uplifted as Laura had expected. As she watched the hibakusha relive her experiences, Laura could only imagine a fraction of the unbearable pain and despair she must have felt. Laura was shocked that such unnecessary pain and suffering could be inflicted in less than a second.
Before she began this journey, Laura grew up believing in the security and safety nuclear weapons provided America with. Now she has come to the realization that the development of nuclear weapons has only given rise to more fear and mistrust in the global community, and that out of fear the darkest creations of mankind emerge.
Stumbling upon this truth in a most personal experience has inspired Laura to seek peaceful methods of rebuilding trust and diminishing fear within the American and Japanese communities. Together, youth leaders from both cultures can raise awareness by participating in the origami challenge and using the social media tools available. By folding a paper crane in memory of Sadako’s struggle to survive, and posting it to Instagram, Facebook, or twitter, anyone can be part of the movement to abolish nuclear weapons. Signing petitions or writing letters to politicians seeking the abolition of nuclear weapons is also a great option for future leaders.
As Abraham Lincoln once said, “The best way to destroy an enemy is to make him a friend.” By starting with students like Laura and other young people worldwide, the U.S. and Japan can rebuild the bridges of trust to create a more peaceful, prosperous society wherein nuclear weapons do not need to exist.
2016 CIF Students Conference
CIF Spring 2016 Students Conference will be held on Friday, April 15 and Saturday, April 16 at Santa Catalina School in Monterey, California!
More information is forthcoming! Please check back soon!
New! Media Advisory Released!!
Japanese version!!
We are excited to welcome Former US Secretary of Defense Dr. William Perry and his daughter Ms. Robin Perry to discuss nuclear disarmament with future leaders!
Dr. William Perry and his daughter, Ms. Robin Perry, at The Commonwealth Club in January in San Francisco.
To read the spring 2015 conference report, click here!
We are thrilled to receive over fifteen schools this year to join us for the 2016 CIF Student Conference!
US
Choate Rosemary Hall, Wallingford, CT Dr. Olga Mohan High School, Los Angeles, CA Harker School, San Jose, CA Punahou School, Honolulu, HI Rock University High School, Janesville, WI Santa Catalina School, Monterey, CA Pacific Grove High School, Pacific Grove, CA
Japanese
Hiroshima Jogakuin Senior High School, Hiroshima, Japan Kansai Soka Senior High School, Katano, Japan Kwassui High School, Nagasaki, Japan Nagasaki Nanzan Senior High School, Nagasaki, Japan Ritsumeikan Uji High School, Kyoto, Japan Soka Senior High School, Tokyo, Japan
Russian
Lyceum, Lesnoy, Russia Gymnasium 41, Nvouralsk, Russia Gymnasium 164, Zelenogorsk, Russia
CIF 2014 Spring Student Conference at Santa Catalina School in Monterey, CA.
The Santa Catalina Campus
The Lone Cypress Tree, 17 Miles Drive
CIF 2015 Student Conference Report
Critical Issues Forum Spring Student Conference in Hiroshima to Commemorate the 70th Anniversary of the Atomic Bombings
American and Russian High School Students Joined Japanese Students in Hiroshima for Nuclear Disarmament Conference
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CIF Participants in front of the Hiroshima Children’s Peace Monument
Masako Toki
April 22, 2015
From April 2-4, 2015, students from the United States and Russia joined Japanese students in Hiroshima, Japan, for the annual Critical Issues Forum (CIF) conference on nuclear disarmament. The James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS) at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (MIIS) cosponsored the conference as part of the CIF program, in partnership with Hiroshima Jogakuin Senior High School and the Hiroshima for Global Peace Plan Joint Project Executive Committee (Hiroshima Prefecture and Hiroshima City).
This was the first time in the eighteen-year history of the CIF that the student conference was held in Hiroshima, the first city to have ever experienced nuclear devastation, to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the 1945 atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
The three-day conference included two days of students’ presentations at Hiroshima Jogakuin, where all the participating schools demonstrated their semester-long studies on this year’s topic, “Nuclear Disarmament: Humanitarian Approach.”
The last day of the conference featured speeches by Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida, Governor of Hiroshima Hidehiko Yuzaki, and a keynote speech by Mr. Yoshitoshi Nakamura, the deputy director general in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Disarmament, Non-Proliferation and Science Department. The students also organized a showcase of their presentations from the previous day, and then held a panel discussion featuring students from each country, which was moderated by Professor Nobumasa Akiyama, one of Japan’s foremost nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation experts.
To further enhance their understanding of the horror of nuclear weapons use, teachers and students visited the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum and heard a first-hand account of August 6, 1945, from a hibakusha, an atomic bomb survivor. All participants agreed that their CIF experience in Hiroshima was informative, enriching, and enlightening.
International Students’ Conference
Hiroshima Jogakuin’s presentation ending with music.
On April 2 and 3, students presented their findings of their semester-long studies on this year’s topic, “Nuclear Disarmament: Humanitarian Approach.”
Following an opening statement by Masako Toki, CIF project manager, and welcoming remarks by Mr. Haruo Hoshino, the principal of Hiroshima Jogakuin Senior High School, the students watched a video message from Ms. Virginia Gamba, director and deputy to the high representative for disarmament affairs, United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs. In her message, she congratulated participants for holding such an important conference to promote disarmament and nonproliferation education in Hiroshima, and she expressed her hope that students continue their work toward a nuclear-weapon-free world.
Given the topic of this year’s CIF project, many schools investigated the effects of nuclear weapon use on both the environment and human beings. Due to the deep concern about the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of any use of nuclear weapons, many students supported the idea to ban nuclear weapons based on their studies of these weapons from scientific, environmental, political and cultural perspectives. Many students’ presentations pointed out the shortcomings of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), such as its discriminatory nature and weak enforcement mechanism.
All the high school students’ presentations contained creative and innovative ideas while demonstrating a solid understanding on the topic they learned through their semester-long thorough research.
Student Presentation Highlights
In their presentation, students from Santa Catalina High School in Monterey, California, explored how we can apply the humanitarian initiative while pursuing disarmament and maintaining a collaborative relationship with both nuclear weapon states and non-nuclear weapon states. Through their investigation, the Santa Catalina students proposed pursuing a change in the NPT, essentially transforming it into to a Nuclear Nonproliferation and Disarmament Treaty (NPDT).
The host school, Hiroshima Jogakuin, gave one of the most multidimensional presentations, incorporating a skit, music, and PowerPoint presentation to demonstrate their thoughts on the need to ban nuclear weapons. Hiroshima Jogakuin has a long history of peace and disarmament education, given their experience of losing over 300 students in the atomic bomb attack on August 6, 1945. Hiroshima Jogakuin’s presentation conveyed the horrific effects of the use of nuclear weapons against human beings, and emphasized the importance of raising awareness of this issue, asserting that the nuclear threat is everyone’s problem
Pasadena High School from California formed a Nuclear Nonproliferation Club for the CIF project. The students argued that the NPT ultimately proved to be a “successful, failed experiment.” While it prevented a catastrophic nuclear war during the critical period of the Cold War, it failed to wholly prevent further nuclear proliferation or achieve a world without nuclear weapons.
A first time participant, Harker School from San Jose, California, presented a comparative analysis of the feasibility of achieving nuclear disarmament through an emphasis on humanitarian considerations. The students investigated several different successes in humanitarian-centered efforts, such as the abolition of slavery, the conclusion of the Chemical Weapons Convention, and the Landmine Ban Treaty (officially known as the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction). The students formulated their presentation by analyzing how, based on these precedents, a similarly humanitarian-focused initiative on nuclear weapons could lead us to a more peaceful world without nuclear weapons.
Yokohama Senior High School of International Studies, Kanagawa, emphasized the importance of nuclear disarmament education, proposing standardized disarmament and nonproliferation education for the youth. The Yokohama students argued that effective disarmament education will eventually impact the nuclear policies of states, leading to more disarmament progress.
This year, two Russian schools participated in the conference. Both schools’ presentations were very creative and well-researched. Students from Novouralsk illustrated stories of the lives of children who became victims of nuclear weapons, effectively conveying the inhumane nature of such weapons. They highlighted the importance of achieving a world free of nuclear weapons for the future generation. Students from Zelenogorsk discussed the importance of International Humanitarian Law and grassroots movement for nuclear disarmament.
Please see the CIF Conference Program for more information
Guest speakers:
Mr. Steven Leeper, former Chair of the Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation, gave a keynote address titled “Youth, Education and a Nuclear-Weapon-Free World.” He emphasized the importance of the culture-of-peace approach to accomplish nuclear abolition. He shared with the CIF students the sense of urgency he feels working toward nuclear abolition warrants, as well as the need to utilize all the necessary resources.
Mr. Jeffrey Adler from the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo gave a presentation on the importance of the US-Japan cooperation for nuclear nonproliferation. In his talk “Strength of People to People Relationships,” he highlighted the educational and cultural activities for a better relationship between the two countries, contributing to peace and security in the Asia Pacific region as well as the entire world.
Public Symposium
The three-day CIF conference culminated with the public symposium at the Hiroshima International Conference Center. The CIF attracted the highest ranking official of the Japanese government, Minister of Foreign Affairs Fumio Kishida, who is originally from Hiroshima. In his speech at the symposium, the foreign minister congratulated CNS and the co-organizers in holding this important event in Hiroshima with students from the United States, Russia and Japan, and highlighted the importance of disarmament education for the next generations. He also discussed Japan’s role in building a world without nuclear weapons, elaborating on his country’s role in the upcoming NPT Review Conference as well as the twelve-nation Nonproliferation and Disarmament Initiative (NPDI) that Japan had co-founded with Australia.
CIF Students from Each Country at Panel Discussion at Public Symposium Moderated by Professor Nobumasa Akiyama
Hiroshima Governor Hidehiko Yuzaki congratulated and thanked all CIF participants and organizers. In his speech, the governor illustrated Hiroshima’s recent efforts toward a world free of nuclear weapons, such as publishing the Hiroshima Report and hosting Hiroshima Round Table. He also noted that he will be participating in the upcoming NPT Review Conference in order to underscore the importance of nuclear disarmament.
Ambassador Yasuyoshi Komizo, chair of the Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation, expressed his hope that the international community starts negotiating a nuclear weapon convention to de-legitimize these weapons, given the catastrophic effects of the use of nuclear weapons.
Students from Choate Rosemary Hall in Connecticut and Kaisei High School in Tokyo made a joint presentation showcasing their studies on the humanitarian approach to nuclear disarmament and their experiences in the CIF project. The two schools combined their presentations they presented at the Hiroshima Jogakuin on previous day.
Both schools challenged the current NPT regime by investigating why a world free of nuclear weapons has not been achieved through the NPT. The students also addressed the legality of the use of nuclear weapons, citing the 1996 advisory opinion on nuclear weapons by the International Court of Justice. The students further argued that there are many other ways that the money currently allotted toward nuclear weapons can be used in ways to more sustainably build peace, such as peacekeeping operations. In their concluding remarks, they emphasized that their presentation included only a few of the many great ideas that were presented at the conference. On behalf of all the CIF students, they implored the audience to raise awareness of these nuclear weapon issues, and to think seriously about what we can do to help advance nuclear disarmament.
The keynote address was given by Mr. Yoshitoshi Nakamura, the deputy director general in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Disarmament, Non-Proliferation and Science Department. He presented an overview of Japan’s nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation policy, and the role of disarmament and nonproliferation education. He emphasized the importance of youth education as well as local community efforts to promote disarmament and nonproliferation education.
One highlight of the symposium was a panel discussion by students from each country, moderated by Professor Nobumasa Akiyama of Hitotsubashi University, a leading Japanese expert in nuclear nonproliferation and disarmament. Each student shared his or her own personal experience with nuclear disarmament initiatives and disarmament education.
As a third generation hibakusha, Ms. Masaki Koyanagi, a student from Kwassui High School in Nagasaki, expressed her determination to convey the catastrophic effects of nuclear weapons that her grandparents experienced. She affirmed her belief in the power of youth to make positive impact on nuclear disarmament progress.
In her speech, student Amadea Tanner of Pasadena High School insisted that the key to overcoming obstacles to nuclear disarmament is to “trust.” She said countries in possession of nuclear weapons do not trust each other to take steps in getting rid of their weapons, but she believes that trust can be restored one step at a time.
Her statement resonated with many of audience. She also articulated her determination to educate as many people as possible on nuclear disarmament issues. Ethan Ma from Harker School argued that the movement to end nuclear weapons must be a step within the greater movement toward peace.
Yuina Capper from Hiroshima Jogakuin asserted that the biggest obstacle to abolish nuclear weapons is the people who think it is safer to have nuclear weapons. Therefore, she is convinced that it is important for her to show those people how nuclear weapons can destroy our lives and environment, and that in this way she can contribute to a creating a world free of nuclear weapons.
Valeria Serkova discussed how growing up in, Zerenogorsk, Russia, a “closed city” established specifically to operate nuclear facilities, has led her to be interested in nuclear disarmament. She emphasized the importance of taking action to make progress toward a nuclear weapon-free world. Based on her experience in disarmament and peace activities at her school, she argued that education provides young people with the necessary, solid foundation to work for nuclear disarmament.
These future leaders in nuclear disarmament stimulated other students in the audience, and there were many constructive questions. Professor Akiyama concluded the symposium by encouraging all the participating students to further their interest in this vital global issue and to all strive to become leaders in this field.
Throughout the three-day conference, there were significant media coverage. The public symposium, in particular, was broadcast nationwide by NHK, Japan’s national TV station. Almost 200 people gathered for the public symposium in the 150-capacity room, illustrating the significant public interest in nuclear disarmament discussions by high school students from the United States, Russia, and Japan.
Conclusion
As the main organizer of the CIF project, CNS worked very hard with the co-organizers—Hiroshima Jogakuin, Hiroshima prefecture, and city, and all the participating schools. This conference was a historic achievement in disarmament and nonproliferation education, not only because the foreign minister participated, or that it happened in Hiroshima to commemorate the 70th anniversary, but also that these high school students worked so hard to think critically about this complicated issue, in order to find their own, innovative solutions. Through the CIF activities, all the students were able to develop their critical-thinking skills, and learned nuclear nonproliferation and disarmament issues, the impact of the use of nuclear weapons, and examined challenges to achieving a world free of nuclear weapons. Most importantly, many of these students realized that they are the ones who are responsible to achieve that goal.
In that sense, the power and promise of education to achieve this goal needs to be more widely recognized by more people around the world. The United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, in his monumental speech on disarmament at the MIIS two years ago, eloquently stated that “Education can also help to refute the claim that nuclear disarmament is utopian … Education can help the world to build a global culture of peace that rejects all weapons of mass destruction as illegitimate and immoral.” CNS hopes that this type of educational project will give more opportunities to many young students to further raise their awareness of these global challenges, strengthen their determination to work toward this goal, and start something they can do, no matter how small it may seem.
Participating Schools
United States
Choate Rosemary Hall, Wallingford, CT
Cushing Academy, Ashburnham, MA
Harker School, San Jose, CA
Pasadena High School, Pasadena, CA
Presque Isle High School, Presque Isle, ME
Rock University High School, Janesville, WI
Santa Catalina School, Monterey, CA
Japan
Hiroshima Jogakuin Senior High School, Hiroshima
Kwassui High School, Nagasaki
Yasuda Girls High School, Hiroshima
Yokohama Senior High School of International Studies, Kanagawa
Kaisei High School, Tokyo
Russia
Gymnasium No 41, Novouralsk
Gymnasia No 164, Zelenogorsk
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